Temperature-responsive device.



C. G. SIMONDS & G. W. DOERR.

TEMPERATURE RESPONSIVE DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.2I, 1916.

Patented June 26, 1917.

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CHARLES G. SIMONDS AND GEORGE W. DOERR, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

' TEMPERATURE-RESPONSIVE DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 1917.

Application filed. January 21, 1916. Serial No. 73,411.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES Gr. SIMONDS and GEORGE W. Donna, citizens of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Temperature-liesponsive Device, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in temperature responsive devices in which operation depends upon a disassembling of parts with the melting of a fusible substance which normally holds the parts assembled, and is particularly applicable to fire extinguishing automatic sprinkler heads.

The object of our invention is to provide a strut so constructed as to subject the fusible substance to a minimum strain,-a theoretical nullity, and yet be sure to collapse with the melting of the fusible substance.

Heretofore devices of this class have operated on the principle of levers arranged to balance a heavy load by a small resistance on the part of the fusible substance. While such constructions reduce the strain 011 the fusible substance, they also require that the substance shall carry some strain. This is objectionable because, in order to make the strain in the fusible substance sufficiently small, the ratio of the lengths of the arms of the levers must be very great and therefore easily affected by variations in manufacture and in the friction on the pivots, producing in some cases premature operation due to excessive strain on the fusible substance, and in other cases failure to operate at all for want of stress sufficient to move the parts though the substance be melted.

Our device involves a different principle. It consists of an extremely unstable assembly of load bearing parts kept in equilibrium by a fusible substance. The load bearing parts carry all the load. The fusible substance acts as a mere keeper.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 shows the device adapted to a sprinkler head of common form.

Fig. 2 shows another method of adapting the device.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of the device.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the device as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. device.

Fig. 6 is an end view of the device as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows a sectional view of another modification taken on line a7) of Fig. 8.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line cd of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of another modification of the device.

In Fig. 1, frame 1 of the sprinkler head is threaded at 2 for attachment to a water supply system. 3 is a diaphragm provided with a hole 1 at its center into which a valve 5 is seated. Chamber 6 below the diaphragm becomes a terminal of the water system when the head is attached thereto, and when valve 5 is released water is free to pass through the hole 4 and be scattered about by the deflector 7. The function of our device is to normally hold Valve 5 securely on its seat in the diaphragm and to quickly release said valve when the surrounding air rises to a predetermined temperature.

It comprises a strut, seated at 8 and 9 between the frame 1 and valve 5, formed b 1 a number of balls 10 held in a straight line by a coating 11 which surrounds them except at their points of contact with each other. The water pressure on valve 5 is carried by the balls to the frame 1, and, since the balls are in line, the pressure produces no strain in the coating. The coating is made of material chosen to melt at a predetermined temperature, and when it does melt the equilibrium of the line of unretained balls is so extremely unstable as to be sufficiently disturbed thereby to instantly colapse.

Fig. 2 shows how the strut might be used in combination with levers 12 and 13 to reduce the strain on the balls where it is desired to resist very heavy loads, or higher pressures than the balls are able to stand directly. Lever 12 isv pivoted to the frame of the sprinkler head at 15. Lever 13 is piv oted to valve 5 at 16, and the two levers are pivoted together at 14. The strut is supported between the levers at 17 and 18. The load and its reaction acting at 16 and 15 respectively is divided between pivot 14 and the strut into amounts inversely proportion ally to their perpendicular distance from a line through 15 and 16. The internal action 5 shows another modified form of the of the strut is the same as in Fig. 1. Then it collapses the levers also collapse and per mit the valve to open.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the strut in which reinforcing strips 19 serve both to strengthen the strut as to bending and to assist the fusible substance 11 in absorbing heat from the surrounding air by increasing the ratio of exposed surface to the mass that must be heated in order to melt said substance. For this reason the strips are preferably made rough and black. The balls 10 contact with each other on a straight line passing through their axes same as in Fig. 1, and are similarly retained by fusible substance 11.- The fusible substance normally adheres to strips 19 and holds the assembly as shown. The strips are supported only by the fusible substance and therefore at the melting of said substance the strips fall away giving the line of balls perfect freedom to collapse.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a modified form of strut in which an assembly of contacting balls 10 is held in line by strips 20 which are soldered together along their edges 21 so as to form an inclosing tube for the balls. The diameter of this tube is reduced at 22 and 22 to a diameter less than that of the end balls for the purpose of preventing the balls from escaping in handling and also to support the tube free from the strut support-- .ing portions of frame 1 and valve 5 at S and 9 respectively. lVhcn the solder melts the strips fall apart and the line of balls is free to collapse.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a modification to demonstrate that while balls are preferable, spherical form for the units is not essential to our invention. A number of oblong units 23 may be assembled in fusible substance 24, and the end units may be pointed as at 25 or flattened as at 26.

Fig. 9 shows another substitute for balls. A pile of contacting cylinders 27 having their axes all in the same plane are used in stead of balls. They are embedded in fusible substance 28 which gives the strut the form of a parallelopiped.

Thus it is apparent that the invention is not confined to balls but that it includes other forms of units capable of acting in' substantially the same way.

\Vhat we claim is 1. In a temperature responsive device, a strut comprising a plurality of more than three abutting members having rolling-contact with each other, and a fusible jacket normally retaining said members in substantially a st 'aight line adapted to melt apart Copies of this patent may be obtained for members whereby lateral movement thereof required to cause collapse is hindered by no sliding contact friction; and a fusible jacket for the assembled strut adapted to melt apart and free said rollable members at a predetermined temperature- 3. In a temperature responsive device, a strut comprising a fusible jacket, end members adjacent the terminalsof said jacket, and a plurality of abutting members lined within said jacket having rolling contact with each other and with said end members.

1-. In a temperature responsive device, a composite strut comprising a plurality of more than three minor struts respectively arranged with axes substantially in the same straight line to abut each other with. rolling-contact surfaces, and a fusible coating to normally equilibrate the strut and protect it from corrosion.

5. In a temperature responsive device, a strut comprising stationary terminal members one on each end thereof adapted to seat the strut between load and reaction bearing parts of the mechanism with which it is to be used,-abutting members lined between said terminal members rollable on each other and on said terminal members, a covering of fusible alloy on the members, and reinforcing strips attached by the fusible alloy.

6. In a temperature responsive device, a strut comprising a line of contacting balls adapted to collapse at a predetermined temperature. f

7. In a temperature responsive device, a strut comprising a line of contacting balls and reinforcing means exterior thereof adapted to collapse at a predetermined temperature.

8. In a temperature responsive device, a strut comprising a plurality of contacting balls and reinforcing means exterior thereof retained by a fusible substance.

9. In a temperature responsive device, an equilibrated assembly of contacting balls, and means destroying the stability thereof at apredetermined temperature.

CHAR-LES Gr. SIMONDS. GEORGE IV. DOER-R.

lVitnesses:

F. J.JENNINGS, CLARA SCHMIDT.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

